


An Aunt, Suppressants, and the Pain of a Mate

by calmingmotions



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Alpha Hide, Alpha Touka, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, M/M, Omega Kaneki, Omega Verse, Pain, Panic Attacks, kanekis aunt is awful
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-21 22:58:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13153809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/calmingmotions/pseuds/calmingmotions
Summary: Kaneki had slowly been weening himself off of the horrible suppressants his Aunt forces him to take, but when she catches him not taking them, things go terribly south for the omega.





	An Aunt, Suppressants, and the Pain of a Mate

**Author's Note:**

> Some suspension of disbelief will be needed here, enjoy.

Kaneki woke up with a soft yawn, stretching his arms and letting out a content sigh. He had, for once, slept rather nicely. He felt fairly energized, ready to take on the day, although for him and his luck, something bad was bound to happen with this favorable stroke of luck.

The half ghoul stood up slowly in his small room, moving carefully around the cramped space to get past his desk and to his closet, pulling out clothes for work. He had always lied in this tiny room, ever since his mother passed away and aunt took him in, he had always dwelled in this room he called his.

Sure it was tiny and far too cramped for a college student like himself, but the omega learned that it was better not to argue with his alpha aunt. And, let's just say, it was better for him to keep quiet whenever he felt the need to argue something. 

The omega dressed himself quickly, combed out his hair, and stepped out of his room as quietly as possibly. Small flickers of anxiety sparked in his chest at the smell of tea brewing, meaning that he aunt was awake. He had really hoped to stay away from her this morning...

The half-ghoul, all of his work things ready to go, quietly crept towards the door, almost near the handle before he was finally caught.

"Kaneki, get your ass in here." The alpha yelled from the kitchen, half-ghoul halting his steps. The anxious sparks turned to butterflies in his stomach fluttering about nervously as the omega walked into the kitchen, where his aunt was ungracefully leaning across the counter, hair a mess and makeup askew.

"You really thought you could leave without me noticing?" The woman asked, glaring at her nephew with a hatred that had spawned from basically nothing. He had never done anything wrong to his mothers's sister, so he had no explanation for her neglect and abuse.

She pulled a bottle out of the medicine cabinet, the contents inside rattling around, Kaneki's heartbeat quickening. God, he hated those pills. She opened the container and pulled out two of the little yellow capsules. She stepped closer to Kaneki, looking down at him in something akin to disgust as he flinched away from her raising hand, which she proceeded to simply hand him the pills with. 

He took them with a clammy hand, nervously looking up at her as she looked down expectantly. Hw had been weening off of them without her noticing, so he had been praying that she would just forget about the cursed medicine once and for all. 

He was about to say something, opening her mouth before the phone rang. The woman groaned and waited for a moment, then turned to stomp out of the room, sending Kaneki a threatening look as well as the words "take them or I'm kicking you out for a week" before exiting the room.

The omega felt himself relax when she left, unaware of how tense he had become under her overwhelming presence. He took a shaky breath, looking down at the pills resting in his hands, looking innocent despite their effects. His eyes darted to the container laying closed on the counter. He could hear his aunt asking in the distance.

All he had to do was put the capsules back into the bottle, no one would know... He dashed forward, screwing the lid off in a rushed manner, throwing the pills in, closing it as quickly as it had been opened. He put it back on the counter exactly as it had been, gathering his work belongings with him again, his black bag with his phone and other things in it, and bolting out the door before anyone could stop him.

He hurried to work, feeling paranoid until he actually got inside the cafe. The shop was already open, a few customer's here. He hadn't realized that he had been running late due to the incident with his aunt. 

The omega felt a rough shove to his back, stumbling forward with a pained noise, as the person had roughly shoved one of the bruises on his back, scattered there by his angry aunt. He turned to see Touka glaring down at him, the alpha already setting him on edge. He didn't need this kind of abuse at Anteiku, the one place he was supposed to feel safe.

"Get to work, dumbass. You're already late, I don't need you slacking off already." The omega nodded quickly, eyes cast to the ground as he hurried to set his stuff in the back. He put his bag up, made sure his phone was on in case he needed it, and put on his apron. He turned and walked out of the room quickly, ready to work and have a calm day in the cafe.

It was Touka, Irimi, and himself in the cafe today, and things had been going fairly well so far. The flow of customers was steady and just the right amount of people to keep him busy but not have him running back and forth. He hadn't dropped anything yet, and hadn’t messed up anyone's coffee. He was serving a little young omega her coffee when things began to take a turn south.

He heard the door open, the little bell chiming, and turned to welcome the arriving customer.

"Welcome to Antei-" he cut himself off, eyes meeting the cold gaze of his aunt, panic seizing him. Why was she here? Did she simply want some coffee? Had he done something wrong? Had she found out about him putting away the medicine? If Yoshimura-san were here this morning, he probably would have asked him to tell his aunt to leave upon picking up Kaneki’s growing anxiety. 

"Are you okay? You seem distressed." The kind omega girl said. She was a woman older than himself, looking worriedly between his aunt and him, clearly picking up on his changed scent.

"Oh. Y-Yes ma'am. I'm fine, thank you" He replied, giving her a weak smile that clearly didn't convince her. The half-ghoul walked over nervously to his aunt when neither Irimi or Touka came to help her, busy with people of their own.

"W-Would you like a seat?" He asked, gesturing towards the neatly set up chairs and tables with one hand, the other behind his back.

"No," She said stiffly, her voice poorly concealing anger. The omega stepped back a bit, adverting his eyes anxiously due to her overwhelming scent. "Is there someplace where we could talk, in private?" she asked, but her expression showed that her words were more along the lines of a command rather than a request.

The half-ghoul nervously peered back, looking to catch Irimi or Touka's eyes and silently plead for help, but neither were paying him any attention. 

"Follow me." He said softly under his breath, walking towards the back room where he stored his belongings this morning. When they walked into the room, his aunt turned and locked the door behind her, setting him on edge.

"Would you like to explain," She fished through her purse, old and worn beyond use, before pulling out the container of little yellow pills. "Why there's still the same number of pills in here as there were before I gave you yours for this morning?" Kaneki froze, not saying a word as he kept his head bowed, closing his eyes as a small whimper of fear escaped him unwillingly. 

"Why didn't you take your pills?" She asked angrily, glaring down at him as she stepped forward, asserting her dominance over the omega. Kaneki swallowed thickly. 

"I-I can't work when I take them." He said quietly His aunt snarled, the half-ghoul's shoulders hunching at the noise. His aunt roughly grabbed him by the chin, yanking his head up violently to force him to meet her eyes with is own wide owned, grip painfully tight.

"What kind of fucking excuse is that?" She asked, forcing her finger between his lips, prying his mouth open as he cried out in alarm, unable to pull away as he struggled against her firm grip. She shoved the pills into his mouth before saying a macing "Swallow the goddamn pills before I shove them down your throat." 

Kaneki struggled to swallow the pills dry, tears streaming down his cheeks and full-blown panic settling uncomfortably in his chest, causing his mind to race and his heart to pound. 

When he finally got the pills down he let out a fearful sob, trying to pry her hand away from his surely bruised jaw. She finally let the crying omega go before reeling her arm back and striking him hard with her fist, leaving what would surely be a black eye. 

The force of the blow sent him to the ground, clutching at his face where he had been struck, cries soft and pained. She pulled her foot back and kicked him in the ribs, repeating the motion until a crack could be heard. 

"Learn to take your goddamn suppressants." She growled at him. The half-ghoul cried out loudly as pain lanced through his side, leaving him gasping on the ground. The alpha woman grabbed his hair and yanked his head up, forcing him to meet her eyes once again.

"Don't come back to my house for a week." She hissed, shoving him back against the ground. She dusted herself off, disregarding her sobbing nephew with a final swift kick before she composed herself and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind herself.

The half-ghoul cried quietly, laying on the ground as still as he could while pain danced across his entire body and staticked across his vision. What had he ever done to deserve this? What had he done to be treated like this? Why him, him of all people? He had to get rid of these pills in him, he-he, he had to get them out. His heart rate spiked, he could feel it pounding erratically in his chest. He had to get these suppressants out of him.

He couldn't remember how omg he laid there before he heard footsteps coming down the hall again, reaching the room where he was still huddled on the ground, a teary mess. he door opened quickly, as if the opener were angry.

"Kaneki, where have you been we-" the person paused, the half-ghoul not responding, too busy trying to calm himself down enough to slow his irregular heartbeat. "Kaneki?" The voice asked, sounding worried. He had never heard that voice take on such a tone. Footsteps moved closer until the person could make out the half-ghoul, able to see his already formed bruises and how he clutched to his side.

There was a small gasp before the person ran out, yelling “Irimi!" As they went. Oh, his stomach was starting to hurt terribly, only one fo the awful side affects from the suppressants he had been forced to take. He felt dizzy. He made an attempt to crawl forward a bit, only to crumple back onto the ground with a keen of pain.

Not even a few moments later, not one, not two, but three sets of feet came rushing into the room. Irimi letting out a gasp, while Touka, as he now recognized her voice, explained that she just “found him here after that woman left.” Kaneki, still on the ground, eyes closed, flinched when an unfamiliar person placed their hands on his side, trailing down and feeling for anything off. 

The omega flinched away from the hands, the person connected to said hands crooning in an attempt to calm him down. That voice sounded familiar. The half-ghoul took a quick up to look at the person, recognizing her as the omega girl he had been serving earlier. 

She was talking fast enough to make his head spin, presumably to him, while he struggled to fight his way out of his pain induced fog.

"What happened while she was in here?" He finally caught her repeating, and he opened his mouth, a soft cough stopping him and a pained whimper following before he attempted again. 

"Suppressants. I-I didn't t-take them, and she was m-mad." He stuttered out, the fog lifting as the omega continued to check his wounds. She jolted at the word 'suppressant' , Touka and Irimi doing the same. Suppressants were dangerous and harmful to omegas, but helped hide their true secondary gender, so some omegas did take them, despite horrendous affects.

"What other pain are you in?" She asked, shaken out of her stupor by the task at hand. 

"My st-stomach... hurts." He gasped out the last word as a wave of pain hit him. It was from the quick working suppressants, the omega girl knew. She continued to check for other wounds wile asking "Do you have mate? We need to take you to the hospital, and it won’t be safe for you to go alone mentally or emotionally." the woman said, waiting patiently for his reply.

Irimi and Touka went to nod their heads no, but were surprised when Kaneki nodded yes, tears forming in is eyes at the thought of his mate.

"Hi-his name is Hide." Kaneki siad, voice weakening. He was getting tired. 

"How can we contact him? The girl omega asked. 

"Phone." Kaneki mumbled, letting his eyes flutter shut. Everything blurred around him, but he heard panicked voices. Someone was roughly shaking his shoulders when he came back to himself, causing him to keen in pain as the motion had pain lancing through his ribs. Maybe the suppressants were affecting him strangely after weening off of them. He felt tired. It’s never been this awful before. He heard someone talking quickly, looking up to see that Touka had his phone.

He groaned, stomach throbbing with pain, making him squeeze his eyes shut and grit his teeth. When he opened his eyes again the omega woman was in front of him, wearing a worried expression while brushing away tears he didn't even know were there.

Everything hurt, all of him, his stomach and side especially. He whimpered while the omega woman coddled him, telling him to "keep his eyes open and focus on her.” He closed his eyes for just a moment, trying to slow his spinning head, but apparently that supposedly short moment had been much longer, for when he finally opened his eyes he heard a pair of feet sprinting their way towards the room all of them were gathered in.

The door flew open, and before Kaneki could even look to see who it was, he was caught in a familiar embrace by someone with a familiar scent. The half-ghoul let out a small whimper, turning as much as he could to try and wrap his arms around his mate, sniffling again as tears threatened to fall once more.

"You're okay, you're okay." Hide whispered calmly, although the frantic heartbeat Kaneki could feel betrayed his mate’s true emotions. Kaneki keened, clinging to Hide tightly, sniffles turning to small sobs. 

"They're here." He heard the omega woman say, focused so much on his mate's comforting presence that she sounded far away. Hide shifted Kaneki slightly, helping him to lay comfortably in his lap before he slipped his arms under his legs and back. Hide stood up quickly, cradling his omega in his arms, making sure that he wasn't hurting before turning to the omega woman.

Irimi and Touka moved forward, presumably trying to help Hide carry his mate, but the alpha growled so fiercely at them that not even Touka was willing to fight with him. Hide apologized to the omega woman, who had bowed her head and become silent during the second long exchange. The woman said it was alright, she understood how he must be feeling, and led him downstairs.

There were people inside the cafe setting up a stretcher, the tables cleared out. Hide gently set the half-ghoul along the ready stretcher, making soft, calming noises, when his mate began to squirm away from the hands trying to secure him and get closer to his alpha.

They allowed Hide to, of course, accompany Kaneki in the ambulance, as he was helping keep the omega calm and docile enough for the people to run a few tests while they made their way to the hospital. 

When they got to their destination, the people insisted that Hide stay with them as they rolled Kaneki in, still laying somewhat calmly in the stretcher, despite having already been poked and prodded with needles. He was being good, only whining and whimpering when waves of pain hit, but no longer causing himself to freak out or risk dropping.

The sight of a bruised and sobbing omega had a few of the patients, and even nurses, send them pitying looks, or sometimes even looks of outrage. How dare someone hurt such a seemingly innocent omega?

Hide grew worried as they arrived towards where he guessed they were putting his mate, realizing how unthought out this plan was. Kaneki was a ghoul, or half-ghoul, whichever title he preferred, and they were in a human hospital. 

Just as Hide began to try and get Touka or irimi on the phone, a tall man came up and took control of the situation, telling the nurses wheeling the poor omega around to go tend to other patients. The man then grabbed the stretcher, undid Kaneki's restraints, as the ghoul had seemed to begin having trouble breathing again, and began to lead them to the opposite end of the hall.

The man leaned in close to Hide, whispering the words, "He's a ghoul, correct?" Before moving away and acting as if the question hadn't been asked. Hide, stunned for a moment, nodded quickly, answering with a quick "Yes, he is."

The doctor had Hide open the door for them and they entered a different section of the hospital, where he proceeded to put Kaneki in a room, hooking him up to a bunch of machines and making him comfortable before coming over to Hide.

"This is a special section of the hospital for ghouls only, even the human workers here aren't allowed. You're mate, I presume, will be taken good care of, although it seems that he is not healing properly, so I will send someone in very soon for you." The man left the room swiftly, not waiting for the alpha's reply hurrying off to go help others.

Standing there for only a second, Hide hurried over to Kaneki, who was panting softly, eyes wide and teary, body trembling noticeably once more. The half-ghoul let out a groan that turned into a whimper, stomach aching terribly.

"You're okay 'Neki, we'll get you fixed up." Hide said reassuringly as the half-ghoul cried softly, clutching his stomach. Hide's mate leaned into his touch when he placed his hand against Kanki's cheek, trying to comfort him by rubbing his scent glands, a comforting gesture to alphas and omegas alike.

Only moments later a nurse hurried in, hooking Kaneki up to all sorts of machines, causing the half-ghoul's breathing to shallow out, fear taking hold of him.

"You're alright, little omega," The woman said with a bright, warming smile, the half-ghoul's heart rate already slowing on the monitor he's now hooked up to already. Kaneki nodded before letting out a small whimper, curling in on himself further. The woman, which Hide now guessed was a ghoul like all others in this section supposedly were, made sure everything was in check before picking up a clipboard. Hide brushed Kaneki's bangs out of his eyes, watching the twin moons gaze up at him sadly. 

"Alright," The woman started with a smile, picking up a pen and twirling it around before setting it against the paper, “What seems to be the problem, little omega?" She asked, voice positive and bright. The half-ghoul was about to answer before he was cut off by a short groan, reaching out to tug Hide's clothes. Hide decided to answer for him.

"He was forced to take suppressants and beaten, bruising all on his ribs and chin." Hide said hurriedly, watching his mates pain lessen, although the pain Hide was experiencing didn't change in the slightest. It hurt to see his mate suffering like this. The woman made note of this on the clipboard, eyebrows furrowing at the answer. 

"Alright, so it seems that you're just not healing properly and the suppressants aren't setting in correctly," the woman started, placing the clipboard in a slot on the wall, turning to Hide and Kaneki with a pitying expression. “We'll have to get your stomach pumped and inject you with a few liquids that boost RC production." She finished, turning to the machines along the wall and pressing a few buttons.

The half-ghoul let out a whine that was a mixture of nervousness and pain when a few other nurses came into the room. Kaneki clung tightly to Hide while the blond tried to whisper reassuring phrases into his mate's ear, only wanting him to stay calm and be okay. 

"You'll have to stay here, Mr. alpha." The nurse who had called in the others said, helping the others set up the omega's bed to be rolled down the hall and to where he presumed they would pump his poor mate's stomach.

Hide stood up, a protest on the tip of his tongue, when the woman turned to him with a stern look, effectively shutting him up. 

"We'll take good care of your mate, we won't let anything happen to him." the nurse told him reassuringly, her stern look turning into a gentle smile. In the few moments of the conversation the other nurses had put Kaneki under, the half-ghoul looking calm and at ease for the first time in a while. Hide's heart ached.

They wheeled him away, the nurse giving him a smile before they left, and Hide didn't see his mate again for a while, waiting patiently in the room. Hide waited there for what felt like hours before the nurses wheeled his mate back in, still asleep but pain causing his features to grimace. 

"He'll be okay, we got the suppressants out of him, although it took a bit of work," the main nurse informed the upset alpha, pulling off some gloves and putting on a new pair after washing her hands. 

"We'll need to give him the injection, but it's dangerous to do it while he's sleeping so we'll leave you two be for a bit. Please press the orange help button on the wall when he wakes up." She finished, walking out of the room to presumably take care of other patients.

Hide sat down in the chair next to the half-ghoul, watching him with sad eyes. What was he going to do? His aunt was terrible, but Kaneki had no where else to go and had refused to live with Hide each time he offered, not wanting to put his mate “in danger.” It was aggravating. He just wanted his omega happy and safe. This is what the outcome of Kaneki's refusal was, the exact opposite of Hide's wishes. 

If he had been there, he could have stopped this from happening, could have saved Kaneki. But no, his aunt had shown up, deciding to bruise, beat, and force medication upon the sweetest, most selfless man he's ever met. It made his blood boil.

Hide calmed himself down, deciding to distract himself by running his hands through Kaneki's soft hair, the feeling of it calming and familiar. He waited patiently for his mate to come around occasionally whispering small words of affection to the omega, watching his sleepy expression twitch into a grin before relaxing again. 

Eventually Kaneki woke up again, eyes bleary and stomach sore. Hide smiled warmly at him, his mate was too cute when tired. Who could resist those little yawns? The half-ghoul looked around for a moment, bewildered, before it all came rushing back to him, both his memory and the pain. 

The omega keened in pain, eyes screwed shut and letting out little huffs of pain as Hide moved close to rub his mate's shoulders and say nice things, hoping to ease the pain. 

"Hey 'Neki." Hide whispered to the calming omega, still grimacing occasionally, but seeming to have gotten rid of most of the panic. 

"Hello Alpha." Kaneki responded with a small smile, looking much happier, but still pale and tired. Hide's heart swooped at the name, heart fluttering before he settled himself down enough to care for his omega. 

"They're gonna give you some medicine to increase your RC," Hide told him, although he was sure the half-ghoul remembered. Or apparently he didn't recall such information, if the way his eyes widened with alarm said anything. "It's just to help you heal, it'll be fine." Hide replied, placing a hand on Kaneki's soft cheek, watching as the anxiety drained from his stiff posture, relaxing against the alpha's warm hand. 

Hide tapped the orange button on the wall, just as he was supposed to, watching it blink in response for a few second before it went off and turned to the solid orange again. The main nurse came in with another male nurse, who was wheeling a cart with a rather large needle on it. Hide felt Kaneki tense again.

"Hello, little omega," The woman said sweetly, snapping her gloves on before she rummaged through the cart. Kaneki gave a small squeak in reply, eyes wide as he eyed to needle. Hide rubbed his shoulders again, but his attempts to calm his mate were in vain. The poor omega didn't like needles from the start, and this was ten times worse, maybe even more.

"Don't be nervous," The woman said reassuringly, the male nurse nodding as he handed her the medicine. "It'll be over in a flash. You can hold your mate's hand if you'd like, and looking away can make the pain basically nonexistent too." She told the nervous half-ghoul. Hide moved his hand to lace it with Kaneki's, smiling when he felt the pale hand squeeze tightly against his own. 

The woman got the medicine ready, pulling it into the needle, then turning to the frightened Kaneki. She didn't bother to sterilize the skin or anything he couldn't get an infection unless it was from a severe injury. The woman told the omega to look away, which he did, staring down where his hand held tight to his lover's.

"1, 2, 3." The woman said quietly, inserting the needle. Kaneki's hand squeezed suddenly, breath picking up just a tad.

"You're okay, you've got it." Hide said, continuing his words until he saw the woman pull the needle out and away. Kanek's eyes fluttering as unshed tears of pain threatened to fall. Hide praised him, telling him how well he did, how proud he was, anything to make his omega feel better. Kaneki sniffled a bit before turning a weary smile to Hide.

He closed his eyes and fell forward, falling asleep right then and there on Hide, the blond looking at him in surprise, but not waking him. He was probably just exhausted. The male nurse watched them for a while before stepping close, gently tapping the alpha on the shoulder. 

"We have a police officer here to speak with you. We recognize the bruising and injuries as something that can't be obtained by a car crash or a clumsy fall," The nurse said, and Hide glared at him, feeling threatened by him. "I'm not saying that you're the one who did it, but we need to make sure he's in a safe place, just like all the other patients who show questionable injuries." The man finished, stepping out of the room and standing outside the doorway in a 'follow me' sort of manner.

Hide got up, giving his mate one last ruffle of his hair, before he followed the nurse. They went down hall after hall, Hide getting more anxious the farther he was from his omega, but when he finally got to their destination, he found himself in an office of sorts. There were two police waiting in the chairs.

"Nice to meet you." The policewoman said, standing up and holding out a hand. Hide shook her hand politely, returning the words, doing the same to the other policewoman. "We are here to talk to you about the omega that was brought in here about two to three hours ago," The first lady started.

"First, he came in with suppressants he had swallowed, supposedly unwillingly, which had to be pumped out of his stomach before they cause damage," She said, going down a list. Hide's fist clenched at his side. Those fucking suppressants. 

“The omega had severe bruising around his ribs, a black eye, and bruises under his chin and jaw. He was also in a state that can only be called blind panic when they first retrieved him from his workplace.” The woman finished up the list, setting the clipboard down. Her partner was watching Hide with stern eyes, watching the anger in his eyes at hearing the damage done to the half-ghoul.

"What we want to know," The stern faced woman spoke up. "Is who did this to him, and if you were the one who gave him those injuries." Hide gave her an incredulous look, which quickly turned to full out rage that someone was accusing him of hurting his mate. His mate! The most precious person in the world!

He stood from his chair, slamming his hands on the table, both women looking mildly surprised by the actions before they schooled their faces and covered it. 

"You really think I would hurt my own mate? He's the most amazing person in the world! Sweet and caring and-and there's no word thats great enough to describe him!" Hide lifted his hands from the table, watching the two police exchange a look. 

"It was his aunt! I know it, I've seen her hurt him first hand and I would never put her above forcing him to take pills that would hurt him and trying to break his ribs or even choke him out!" The alpha stepped back and paced, trying to cool himself off. If he went back to Kaneki with this scent he would surely worry the fragile half-ghoul.

The women stood, sharing one more glance before gathering their materials.

"We can see you care about him," One of them started, and Hide, taking a moment to calm down enough, nodded. That kind little omega means everything to him. "Now about this aunt, do you have some sort of information we can use to contact her. We'd like to see what she says." 

Hide pulled out his phone, going through his contacts until he found 'unforgivable' in there, showing the cops the phone numbers under the contact as well as email address. They copied down the information and said they'd check her background, he was allowed to go back to the omega.

Hide found his way back without a nurse, able to scent the air for his mate until he was in front of the door to their cozy little room. Kaneki was asleep, face slack and without any sort of distress morphing his features. Hide sat down, leaning against the bed to rest his head near his love’s face, admiring him. Hide’s eyes fluttered softly, until all he saw was the blurry outline of Kaneki’s face until he fell asleep.

Hide woke up to someone tapping his shoulder gently. The alpha snarled furiously, moving between Kaneki and whoever woke him. Hide’s snarl died down very soon as he saw the male nurse from before. He looked incredibly unimpressed.

“The police have gone over Mr. Ken’s situation with his aunt and deemed her incapable of taking care of him. She has been charged with child neglect, child abuse, and quite a few minor offenses,” He took a quick breath before continuing, expression still blank, “Mr. Ken can be allowed to either speak in court or have a lawyer to do all the work for him.”

Hide practically lit up at the words. That she-devil cant care for Kaneki anymore! She’s not allowed!  
“Thank you very much!” Hide exclaimed to the nurse, who took a few seconds to react with the faintest smile teasing his lips. The female nurse came in, and noticed Hide’s bright expression immediately. 

“So you’ve been told the news?” Hide nodded vigorously. “I assume the little omega will be staying with you?” Hide was taken aback by the words for a second. He hadn’t even thought about that. 

“I… I would hope so.” The man replied almost sadly, sliding his hand over his mate’s. The female nurse gave a soft smile to the two. She flitted about the room for a while, checking this and that, making things beep and others hiss. Hide was lost in his mate, watching him breath in and out.

After a while, the male nurse spoke, having been watching the female nurse quietly. “Mr. Ken can be released today, but if he begins vomiting he needs to come back immediately.” Hide nodded, snapped out of his daze. “He will be incredibly sore, but he’ll be okay. Do not let him take any pain medicine or suppressants, especially that second one.” Hide listened intently.

Kaneki was stirring, the female nurse looking at him excitedly. “The little omega will be able to go home sooner than we thought if he wakes up now!”

“If that woman bothers him again,” The male nurse spoke up, “She will be arrested on the spot, she is not allowed anywhere near Mr. Ken at the moment.”

Hide was incredibly grateful for all of this, and voiced his thanks. Kaneki woke up, drowsy from the injection and hurting from the pump. The nurses checked him over and said he was safe to go, and Hide called Irimi and Touka, needing a ride back to his apartment. He would explain all the circumstances to Kaneki there, the omega too tired and pained to understand many of Hide’s words now.

Kaneki was given a wheelchair and wheeled out when Hide got a call from Touka, who had gotte his number during the incident, her normally fiery tone sullen as she told him that her and Irimi were waiting outside. Hide helped Kaneki maneuver into the car, helping him to cause as little pain as possible to himself. Touka and Irimi both winced at his pathetic and pained cries, but it hurt Hide the most.

He got into the other side of the car, and once he was situated he pulled Kaneki as close as he could, not caring to put on seatbelts. The two women dropped the mates off at Hide’s apartment building, and Hide carried the hurting omega to the door. He said his thanks to the two, and was on his way until Touka’s anxious voice stopped him. She told Hide to keep them updated. The alpha gave her a reassuring smile before promising to do so.

Hide took Kaneki up to his apartment, taking him into the bathroom for a warm bath to clean that lingering hospital feeling off and relax him. Hide stripped Kaneki out of his clothes, trying to ignore the way his mate cried at each twist to his abdomen. Hide ran the water and helped lower Kaneki in, the warmth relaxing the omega and helping to lessen the insistent pain. 

Kaneki leaned back into the tub, letting the water cover his shoulders. The omega seemed to wake up slightly at the feeling of the water washing over him. He purred at Hide, and it hurt the alpha to see the sweet omega smile through the bruises lying over him.

“‘Neki?” Hide said in a soft, questioning tone, sitting down and leaning against the tub. He lifted a hand to rub against Kaneki’s cheek, the omega nuzzling against him, content purrs escalating. 

“Yes, Hide?” He asked sweetly, looking at him with what can only be called utter love. He seemed a bit dazed, but Hide wanted to drop the question now.

“Would you move in with me? You don’t have to stay with that woman anymore.”

“I- I don't have to?” Kaneki asked, purrs halting, sitting more upright even as it hurt him.

“No, she’s been deemed unfit to care for you. You can live with me now and never have to worry about her.” Kaneki didn’t react. He stared at Hide. And stared. And then broke into a low keen. Hide stiffened, unsure of what to do as his mate shattered before his eyes.

“I-I don’t have to, I don’t have to.” Kaneki mumbled, voice happy but shaking, almost shocked. Hide jerked forward, not caring about the water as he reached his arms around Kaneki’s shoulders, dragging him towards him. “Yes I want to live with you, of course I do.” Kaneki whispered as his voice wobbled and cracked.

“You don’t have to suffer with her anymore.” Hide said softly, as if the words would pierce and further wreck his lover. Kaneki sobbed, mumbling something under his breath over and over and over, and Hide couldn’t make out the words.

They sat there for a bit longer, letting Kaneki cry himself out. Hide eventually lifted him out of the tub. He helped the omega dry off, Kaneki being too shaky to do it himself. Hide gave Kaneki some very heavily scented pajamas to put on. The pjs immediately softened the stiffness that had briefly returned to Kaneki.

They laid down on Hide’s bed, the alpha carefully spooning his omega. Hide wrapped some thick blankets around them, and Kaneki dozed off soon after. Hide would have to go over to Kaneki’s small, almost closet-sized room tomorrow and retrieve the few belongings and clothes he had. 

It had been a rough time to get here, but Hide prayed that this would be a positive path in his mates life, one that would help lead him to some sort of happiness. All he wanted was happiness for him. For now, he cuddled close the warmth of Kaneki in front of him, wrapping around him as much as he could. And he fell asleep, happily ever afters dancing through his head.

**Author's Note:**

> I might do a sequel about Kaneki's recovery, but who knows.  
> Hope you enjoyed.


End file.
